# Swella vs Surfmate

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Surfmate at none against Swella's 2. Surfmate also leads on update cadence (every 9 days vs monthly) and device support (3 vs 1). On price, review sentiment and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Swella sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Surfmate asks for nothing beyond the download.

Swella ships an update monthly, Surfmate every 9 days. The most recent releases landed on October 30, 2026 and November 11, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Swella | Surfmate |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[5.0 (3 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/swella/id6754044464/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **3** | — |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Monthly | **Every 9 days** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Size | 30 MB | 151 MB |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | **15.1** |
| Devices | iPhone | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 17+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [Rita Marques](https://appshunter.io/developer/1846435725) | [Jolie Bast](https://appshunter.io/developer/1847019119) |

## What reviewers say

### Swella

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/swella/id6754044464)

Connect with women who surf, whether you're at a local break or traveling. Plan surf sessions and trips, discover nearby surfers, and build confidence in the water. Find your surf sisters and never paddle out alone again.

**Highlights:** Create surfer profile, Share surf sessions and trips, Discover nearby women surfers, Connect by location, dates, and level, Chat and plan surf meetups, Build confidence in the lineup

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Swella Plus Monthly | $4.99 | per month |
| Swella Plus Yearly | $39.99 | per year |


### Surfmate

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/surfmate-surf-log-connect/id6760191082)

Connect with fellow surfers, log your sessions with detailed notes and photos, and discover local and global surf events. Find surf buddies nearby and organize your favorite surf spots.

**Highlights:** Log surf sessions with photos and notes, Find nearby surfers and connect, Discover surf events worldwide, Share live spot checks, Organize and save surf spots, Build a surfer profile

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Swella free?

Swella is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Surfmate free?

Surfmate is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Do Swella or Surfmate have ads?

Neither Swella nor Surfmate shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Swella or Surfmate?

Swella ships an update monthly, and Surfmate every 9 days. Most recently, Swella was updated on October 30, 2026 and Surfmate on November 11, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*